Food brings us closer together, and closeness at work lays the foundation for a healthy team.
Why not use two things at the same time?
If you’re keen on the idea of using food questions to break ice and bring staff closer together, you’re in luck!
We’ve got 99 killer questions designed for giant teams and tiny ones alike, so without any further ado…
Let’s get into it!
Why do we use icebreaker questions?
Icebreaker questions are loved the world over. A lot of the time they’re used in language-learning classrooms as a great way to spark a connection and lighten the mood.
Icebreakers are a fun way to get everyone talking and laughing. You may sometimes overlook it, but a lot of the time, new hires and introverts really benefit from using fun conversation cues.
We’ve got other icebreaker questions ready that are funny, random, deep, and everything in between, but today’s icebreakers are all related to food.
They’re great to print out and take on a team lunch or dinner outing, so feel free to try them all. Use rapid-fire “this-or-that” questions if you’re going dining as a big team, or more thoughtful “personal preference” questions if you’ve got more time for your small groups to really connect over lunch.
These icebreakers are suited to every group, and you could even use them as inspiration to make your own questions. Before we get into 99 questions, let’s lay out some quick dos and don'ts that will guide you through the questions, or help you make your own in the future.
Quick do’s and don’t for icebreaker questions
Dos
- Stay mindful of the group and keep questions clean.
- Pick up on social cues (stop asking if they’re not comfortable).
- Try keeping the questions rapid-fire for an element of chaos!
Don'ts
- Get too personal (including a person’s dietary requirements)
- Be insensitive to what someone chooses to eat. Everyone is different.
- Worry too much about the answers. Sometimes the faster they come, the funnier they are!
99 Icebreaker questions for your next group meal
Our list is long and fast. We’ve got 10 categories, each with 10 questions, apart from one category which has only 9. Keep an eye out for that category, it’s full of tricky teaser food questions.
Personal preference questions
Nothing wrong with having a preference for one thing over another. Preference questions are a nice way for people to express themselves in an icebreaker situation without causing any upset. They work great for small groups too, as each answer can be expanded upon. Try these:
- Do you like your bacon a little bit crispy?
- What’s the best form of a cooked egg? (scrambled/fried etc…)
- Name a food you couldn’t live without.
- How do you like your steak?
- Which country has the best food?
- What are the steps to making your perfect cup of tea?
- How do you like your toast? (Brits love this one)
- What kind of foreign food do you most enjoy?
- How often do you go out to restaurants?
- What’s your favorite type of cookie?
Home cooking
Nothing quite breaks the ice like questions about a person’s home. Home cooking is one of the best topics to shatter atmospheric ice into a million pieces. They also lay the foundation for closer team building and getting to know each other better. Try out these questions to remind yourselves of some home comforts:
- What food can you make at home that is better than any restaurant?
- What is your comfort food when you feel low?
- What recipe would you pass on to your (future) children?
- Which food reminds you most of your family?
- What did you eat to survive while you were a student?
- What is your grandma/grandpa’s special dish?
- Which cooking smell reminds you of childhood?
- Which spice do you cook with most often at home?
- If you have a new visitor, which dish would you cook them?
- How many desserts have you cooked? (if any)
A little bit silly…
Loosen up and use a few silly questions to lighten the mood. As we mentioned earlier, just be a bit considerate when using these icebreakers (you might want to be careful when asking the CEO!):
- If you were a vegetable, which one would you be?
- If you could banish one food from the face of the earth, what would it be?
- Gotta ask… Does pineapple belong on pizza?
- When was the last time you pretended to like someone’s cooking? (If ever)
- Can a hot dog technically be classified as a taco?
- Ever posted a food picture on social media that you hated?
- Which country has the worst cuisine in the world?
- Do you mind sharing a table with a stranger in a restaurant?
- Do you ever daydream about food while (not) at work?
- Do you ever watch cooking shows while you are eating?
Asian cuisine questions
Asia has the highest share of the world’s population (almost 60%), so chances are you have popular Asian restaurants near you. If you’ve got team members who were born in Asia, you might find that these work as a great “get to know you” activity. Try these icebreakers related to Asian cuisine:
- How many kinds of rice can you think of?
- What types of noodles have you tried?
- Which Asian country has the best food?
- Do you know where the dish “Pho” comes from? (Vietnam!)
- Have you ever seen the Filipino food called “Balut”?
- Do you know any common ingredients in Asian cooking?
- How many Asian restaurants do you have near your home?
- Have you ever tried “durian” fruit? (it’s very… interesting)
- Have you ever seen how Japan makes omelets?
- Where does the dish “pad thai” come from? (the clue is in the name!)
European cuisine questions
From strudel to fondue, European cuisine is some of the most beloved and rich in the world. Questions on European food almost have no end, but try these out for some icebreaking fun-due!
- Full-English or American breakfast?
- What’s the best form of pasta?
- What foods have you eaten in Europe?
- Which European country invented the schnitzel? (Spoiler: it’s Austria)
- How many types of European bread have you tried?
- How many names of cheeses can you think of?
- Have you tried Pasteis de nata, or Portuguese custard tarts?
- Do you know the basic ingredients of Welsh rarebit? (It’s cheese sauce and toast)
- Do you know the national dish of England? (some say fish and chips, some say chicken tikka masala)
- Do you know something unique about Gazpacho soup from Spain? (it’s served COLD!)
Food-themed would-you-rather?
“Would you rather” questions are an effective way to get someone thinking and to keep them on their toes. They’re similar to preference questions, but these questions only have A or B answers available. Try them out:
- Would you rather eat alone or with company?
- Would you rather complain about bad food or stay silent?
- Would you rather give up all types of potatoes or give up all types of bread?
- Would you rather never eat cookies again or never eat donuts again?
- Would you rather have spicy pizza or sweet pizza?
- Would you rather eat at Burger King or McDonald’s for one week straight?
- Would you rather eat 100 lemons or 100 chilies?
- Would you rather eat fish ice cream or drink fish sauce?
- Would you rather have crepes for dinner or steak for breakfast?
- Would you rather eat 6 spicy wings or 6 plain ones?
Healthy eating questions
Healthy eating questions promote well-being among your teams. Someone who is eating healthily usually loves discussing food to break the ice. These are super-effective for setting up a healthy atmosphere:
- What are the best fruits to blend in a smoothie?
- Have you ever tried “mindful eating”?
- Do you think you eat enough of each “food group”?
- Do you have any vegetarians in your family?
- Many doctors agree that eating healthier means living longer. How do you feel about that?
- What is the healthiest meal you’ve ever had?
- Have you ever tried going for a period of healthy eating? How long did it last?
- Can you give me some advice on how to eat more healthily?
- Do you know the difference between “probiotics” and “prebiotics”?
- Do you consider breakfast to be the “most important meal of the day”?
This-or-that questions
This or that questions are as simple as they come. Only two answers are available, which can sometimes lead to funny choices and create relaxed laughter in an ice-breaking session. Give these a shot, remember, they have to choose one!
- Pizza forever or burgers forever?
- Tea or coffee?
- Donuts or bagels?
- Fried or scrambled?
- Eat-in or take-out?
- Indian or Chinese?
- Eat alone or eat in company?
- Carrot cake or red velvet cake?
- Cherry or apple pie?
- Hard candy or gummy candy?
Food questions with riddles
These are our riddle-based questions. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they definitely get you thinking. We know that some of them are quite cryptic, so we’ve included the answer in brackets for each one. They can be used as team energizers to warm up the brain before any meeting!
- What kind of cup doesn’t hold water? (A cupcake!)
- It’s green on the outside but red when it’s open. You eat it and spit out black things. What is it? (Watermelon)
- This food is a container, without a lock or key. Golden treasure awaits inside. What is it? (An egg)
- What kind of cheese is MADE backward? (Edam)
- What kind of dog has no tail? (A hot dog)
- When you’re good in class, your teacher gives you this as a snack reward. What is it? (An apple)
- I am yellow, but I am not a light. I’m tangy, refreshing, and used in Sprite. What am I (A lemon)
- I’m red or I’m green and I grow on a vine. You squeeze me real hard then I’m used to make wine. What am I? (grapes)
- I’m sweet, red and small, with a heart like a stone. What am I? (cherries)
- You cut me, chop me, dice me, then cry over me. What am I (an onion)
Challenging food trivia questions!
Our final category is set up as really tricky questions for more advanced knowledge. Thinking of the answer might take a bit of time, so use this as a team meeting icebreaker if you’ve got time for deep consideration.
Try these out, but you’ve been warned, they’re not easy! (answers in brackets).
- If you suffer from Mageirocophobia, what are you afraid of? (you’re afraid of cooking!)
- What is the most stolen food around the world? (Cheese! Estimates say around 4% of all cheese is stolen)
- Where were chocolate chip cookies invented? (Massachusetts in 1930 by Ruth Wakefield)
- What is the only fruit with seeds on the outside? (strawberries)
- What is the hottest chili pepper in the world? (Carolina reaper, measured at 1,641,183 SHUs or Scoville Heat Units)
- Mozzarella cheese was traditionally made with the milk of which animal? (Water buffalo. Nowadays cows are used, but that’s a more modern practice.)
- Which famous American drink brand was invented in 1886? (Coca-cola by pharmacist Dr. John S. Pemberton)
- “Spam” is a popular food that originated in Hawaii. Its name is a combination of two words. What are those two words? (the two words “ham” and “spice”)
- What is the only state in the U.S. which grows coffee? (Hawaii. Loads of people want to bring home some Kona Coffee after visiting)
There we are, folks! Now you’ve got 99 questions, but a dish ain’t one. Hit me!
Use the power of icebreakers while on a team retreat!
Icebreakers are used to get teams talking. New hires and seasoned veterans alike enjoy them, and they help groups loosen up and build bonds. Imagine the bonds you’ll build if you combine icebreakers with an unforgettable off-site team retreat!
Here at Surf Office, organizing team retreats is our bread-and-butter. A twice-annual retreat develops teambuilding skills, and for new members of staff, it’s an amazing way to break some ice too! Here’s what we offer:
- Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
- Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
- Engaging team-building activities? Our speciality ✅
- Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
- Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
- Onsite support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅
Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.
Your goal is to find unique ways of bringing your teams together and get your company culture right, so make the most of a team retreat that your staff will never forget. They work great for bringing remote teams together too!
Let us sort out the tricky logistics for you. Spaces are very limited, so get in touch now!
